Faces To The Fire
by Rommie's Secret
Summary: Dylan must search the universe for Rommie, who is a slave on a lost planet . AU DylanRommie, TyrBeka, Trancerevealed in later chapters. Better summery inside.
1. Lost

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Andromeda or any of the characters. If I did, I wouldn't still be living with my parents.

**Pairings:** Beka/ Tyr, Rommie/Dylan

**Setting:** EXTREME future. Beka/ Tyr son: Jharden. Rommie/Dylan children: twins Loren (f) & Ethan (m). Trance son: Jakob

**SPOILERS:** None really, but up until season five. (Only, Tyr didn't go bad and die)

**Background**: This is where it gets a bit confusing. During the time distortions in Ouroboros, Rommie gets split into two different time frame Rommies. The original Rommie is sent to a slave planet that is occupied by the Dragons, where she is impregnated with twins that could genetically be hers if she were human. (Genes were taken according to what Rommie would have based on her features, height, weight etc, as well as genes from Dylan, because the Dragons believe that family is Dylan's weakness.) She has a girl named Loren and a son, Ethan. Loren is chosen over her brother and is taken and genetically altered further to be the perfect ally. (She is one quarter android, one quarter Nietzschean, and one quarter Rastion, an avatar race for very powerful biomechanoid warships, whose strength may precede that of the Andromeda. The last quarter of her DNA is a combination of trillions of different races. The sequence of DNA in the final quarter was stolen from the grave planet of an ancient lost civilization.) Her ship is called the Wrath of Serenity, and is only loyal to her, despite the mind-altering technologies of his captors. He is extremely advanced, but possesses no weapons. In battle, he absorbs the energy from enemy weapons and stores it to eventually fire back. He is much larger than the Andromeda, but has no avatar or visual identity. Loren is his only communication with anyone. He can express feelings, and Loren's safety is his top priority. Without enemy weaponry, his only defense is to run away, or use his skin as shielding. Comparing this time frame with the "real" time, about eighteen years have past in Rommie's world, while only a few days have gone by in Dylan's.

The second Rommie, a copy, is sent to the Andromeda to be the avatar. The copy Rommie knows that she does not belong, but doesn't know why. Eventually tragedy strikes, and the copy meets an untimely fate. In her dying moments, copy Rommie tells Dylan what she knows, which sends him on an ongoing search for the real Rommie. Dylan eventually finds his orphaned son, who was taken from his mother and sister and abandoned on a planet, and they continue the journey together.

While all this is going on, Tyr and Beka fall in love and have a son on their own, Jharden, who is the genetic reincarnation of Drago Museveni. Trance also has a son, Jakob, who is just as mysterious as his mother…

**Summery:** Dylan and genetic son are searching the known worlds for Rommie.

"_It Is A Dangerous Business_

_Going Out Your front Door."_

J.R.R Tolkien – Earth 20th century

Beka sighed as she bent down and picked up a pair of sweaty towels from the floor of her room. Her daily schedule had become all to routine for her: wake up, clean room, go to command, relieve Jharden from the night shift, search for next slave planet, set course, rush to medical to see if she could help Trance with any new medical emergencies that had been established during Tyr and Jharden's training sessions, visit new planet with Dylan, search for Rommie among slaves, go home disappointed, go to room and sleep. Sometimes she managed to sneak in a few meals here and there, but she found that it was easier to just take the freeze-dried rations that Harper distributed each morning. No one was in the spirits for a real meal. Ever since Dylan had started searching for Rommie, the crew had become depressed and quiet, except for the occasional yells that came from Dylan's quarters late in the night…

"Rommie? Rommie is that you?" Dylan crept toward the small figure in the dusty corner of the room. "Rommie, can you hear me? A-Are you alright?" The figure slowly turned to face Dylan, revealing a very tiered, very pregnant Rommie holding a force lance. Tear marks streaked her face, and the dirt made her look much older – if that was possible. Her hand trembled as she stood up and leaned up against the wall. She clutched her swollen tummy and pointed her force lance at Dylan. She gasped for breath and started sobbing.

"I'm drowning Dylan. I'm drowning in this place." She aimed and fired a single shot at Dylan, catching him off guard and hitting him square in the chest. Dylan let out a horrified yell and shot out of bed. Gasping for breath, he leaned against the wall of his room for support.

"Jharden, report." He ordered into the silence.

"One planet in range sir. Scans show a lot of Nietzschean activity: large military installations on the surface, and I'm also reading some artificial life form signatures." Jharden reported from command. "But sir, how did you know we were approaching the planet?"

"Just a feeling I sometimes get." Dylan replied. "Andromeda, prepare a channel. Have it ready for me in command. Tyr, Trance, you're needed in command." He was glad that they had recovered a map of a slipstream portal that could lead them very close to many of the Nietzschean settlements. He had been searching for days, but he knew that he couldn't stop. He staggered out of his quarters and down the hall. His sweatpants dragged behind him slightly, but he hardly noticed. He rounded a corner and opened the door to Ethan's quarters. He slept curled up in a ball in the corner, that's how he had grown up, and the softness of the bed bothered him.

Dylan laid his hand on his son's shoulder. "Hey, get up. I have a good feeling about this one." Ethan got up and rubbed his eyes. He hadn't said very much since Dylan found him alone on an old slave planet. "Come on, we're coming up on it now." Dylan ran back to his quarters and slipped into his uniform. He ran back down the hall and smoothed his hair with his hand. Ethan was not far behind him. As he turned the corner to command, half of his crew was already waiting for them. "Andromeda, on screen." He shouted to his ship. The face of Andromeda was suddenly exchanged for the face of a Nietzschean. He was tall and extremely muscular. He had long black hair, similar to Tyr's, and had a face-long scar down the right side of his face over his eye. Because of the scar, his eyelid was oddly shaped and his eye had a white film over it, and remained open when he blinked.

"Highguard, you have no business here." His voice was deep and raspy.

"I am here to purchase a pair of slaves. Two females, about this height." Dylan demonstrated Rommie's height with his hand.

"I see." Said the Nietzschean. "You may come down and view our selection, however, do not expect hospitality. You are well known here Highguard." The Nietzschean's face flickered away and was replaced, once again, by Andromenda's.

"Well, this should be interesting. Harper, Jharden and Tyr come with me. Beka, you have command. Keep Andromeda in a steady orbit, but try to stay out of the way, we don't need any more trouble." Dylan sped down the hall, with the rest of the men following close behind. Ethan looked at Beka, who gave him a reassuring smile.

"Don't worry, he'll bring your mother home." Beka smiled sympathetically.

"That's what you've said the last four times." Ethan opened his mouth for the first time in days. He walked back to his quarters and pulled off his shirt. He made his way over to his shower, passing a mirror that hung on the wall. He stopped and looked at himself, and slowly turned to look at his back. There were scars and purple marks in long strips up his back, looping near his neck. He looked away with sad eyes. If he had told his father what he knew, he was sure that Dylan would give up all hope of finding his love alive.


	2. Impulses

Down on the planet, Dylan Jharden, Tyr and Harper found themselves on a dirt street with crowds of people. Screams echoed off the mud huts and wooden stands that lined the street.

"So, where should we start boss?" Harper leaned towards Dylan so he could be heard over the talking and screaming of the crowd.

"I think we're about to find out." Dylan replied as he pointed toward a break in the crowd. The Nietzschean that they had spoken to earlier made his way through the crowd and carried a large gun. Several Nietzscheans followed behind him and charged their weapons as they approached.

"I am Akais," the lead Nietzschean spoke down at them, "you will follow me." He started in another direction, while his followers glared at Dylan. Dylan's crew looked at him.

"After you Mr. Anasazi." Dylan motioned with his hands for Tyr to follow Akais.

After walking for about ten minutes, the group came upon a large wooden platform. Ten chairs were waiting for them at a booth in front of the crowd, right next to the stage. The Nietzscheans sat down and motioned for Dylan's crew to do the same.

"I hope you find what you're looking for, captain. This planet is one of the finest female slave planets in the galaxy. And that's saying something." Akais yelled over the crowds with an evil smile on his face. Dylan felt sick, to look at be sitting next to him. He leaned in to respond, but Akais had stood up and walked over to one of the guards standing near the stairs of the platform. He muttered something in the guard's ear and turned to look at Dylan. The guard gave a quick nod and hurried away. Dylan slowly reached for his force lance and gripped it tightly.

Akais walked slowly back to his seat and sat down. "Do you have a species preference, fine captain?" He asked while looking at the platform expectantly.

"Actually, I was looking for a new avatar for my ship. A friend of mine told me that you recently came across a woman that would meet my standards." Dylan looked straight ahead, afraid that Akais would catch his bluff.

"Well, none of our androids are for sale," Akais looked at him curiously, "at least, none that still function. Each android has it's use, that is, until it runs out of power." Dylan looked at him.

"Power doesn't concern me, only how they look." Dylan cringed at his own words.

"You puzzle me captain. If I didn't know better, I'd suspect that you had other intentions." Dylan's grip tightened on his force lance. He did not want to fight this Nietzschean. "I suggest you watch your back, not all Nietzscheans on this planet are this willing to sell their slaves." Akais got up and charged his weapon. Dylan's knuckles were white with strain, as he forced himself to control his fear. "Enjoy the auction." Akais leaned in to Dylan, putting the barrel of his gun to Dylan's ear. He then walked over to the nearest mud hut and reached his arm in the door. He reached around inside the small hut, and pulled an android woman out. She looked a bit like Rommie; her eyes were cold brown, and her hair was knotted and frayed. She was not operational, but one of her hands pulsated in and out of a fist. He dragged her onto the platform and lifted her arm into the air. The crowd immediately started cheering and yelling out prices.

"You keep looking," Dylan whispered to Tyr. "I'm going to search the streets." He slowly got up and crept into an ally. He looked back to see if anyone had noticed his disappearance, but Akais and his guards were too busy cheering and watching the show. He sighed as he saw the android being thrown off the stage to the winning bidder. "Oh Rommie," he whispered, "Where are you?"

"Put that one over there." Trance pointed to a small round table in the corner of the room. "I need to prune it if I want it to bloom in time for-" She stopped and looked at her son, who was holding a small bonsai plant. He had deep blue skin that shimmered slightly when it caught the light. He had short hair that was lightly shaded with blue highlights and pulled back into tight spikes.

"In time for what?" Jakob put the plant down and looked at his mother.

"Nothing." She said, as she put her shears down and removed her gloves. "Have you spoken to Ethan today?"

"No, he doesn't like talking." Jakob stated frankly.

"Doesn't like, or won't? Trance asked him. She stood with her hands on her hips.

"Fine, fine! I'll go talk to him, but if something bad happens, it's your fault." Jakob pointed a finger at her jokingly, and strolled out of the hydroponics bay. Trance smiled at him and walked over to the bonsai in the corner.

"Andromeda, where's Ethan?" Jakob asked the empty corridor as he walked toward Ethan's quarters.

"He's in his quarters." The ship replied.

"Alright, will you warn him I'm coming?" Jakob asked as Holo-Rommie appeared in front of him.

"Sure Jakob." She said cheerfully, and blinked away. Jakob continued down the hallway and rounded a corner. Just as he was about to ring Ethan's bell, his doors flew open and Ethan ran right passed him.

"Gee, I didn't know you hated our talks that bad!" Jakob said as Ethan rounded the corner out of view. "And… you're gone." Jakob said quietly. "Ok, now what?" He asked himself.

"Ethan is headed to command, there is a particle anomaly to my port side." Holo-Rommie appeared again.

"Thanks Andromeda, I think I'll head there." Jakob turned to go to command. "But this time, don't tell them I'm coming."

In command, Beka was standing at one of the station punching in some numbers.

"Andromeda, are you sure it's not a malfunction?" Beka asked as she pounded harder on the keys.

"Beka, I am quite sure that all of my sensors are not simultaneously malfunctioning." Andromeda said mockingly.

'What is it Beka?" Ethan said as he entered command.

"Well, apparently there is an anomaly off our port side." Beka said as Andromeda looked at her matter-of-factly. "But it's a scientific impossibility."

"Why?" Jakob asked as he stepped through the doorway to command.

"Because at the same time, there is nothing there. But it has both weight and-" Ethan interrupted Beka and finished her sentence.

"-Density." He finished, as the others looked at him astonished. He stared, wide eyed, at the view screen, which displayed empty space.

"Uh, Ethan, is there something you'd like to share with the rest of the class?" Beka looked around at the other puzzled faces in the room. "Ethan, what are you doing?" Beka asked as Ethan ran to the weapons console.

"Charging missile tubes one through six." He stated while punching in the keys on the console.

"Ethan stop!" Beka yelled, while moving around her own console to reach his.

" Firing." Ethan said just as Beka reached him and pulled him away from the keyboard. She looked at the radar panel and saw the six warheads blinking and moving towards the anomaly. They blinked for a few seconds, and vanished.

"Andromeda report." She said as she looked at the view screen.

"All of the missiles are gone." Andromeda stated blandly.

"Where did they make contact? Could the explosion be seen from the planet?" Beka asked. She did not want Dylan to find out that she had let something like this happen. Especially since he had specifically asked her to stay out of trouble.

"There was no impact at all." Andromeda said quizzically. "No detonation, no explosion. No anything. They just disappeared." Andromeda looked even more confused. "Beka, the anomaly is gone." She said finally.

"Gone?" Beka questioned. "Gone where? An anomaly that size can't just vanish." She looked at Ethan, who was standing there expressionless and limp.

"Nevertheless, it is gone." Andromeda said, looking, also, at Ethan.

Ethan," Beka started asking the question that everyone was thinking, "what have you done?"


	3. Death

AN: I understand that the other chapters might have been a bit hard to read because my computer messed up the page breaks, so I'm sorry and I'm trying something new for this chapter to see if it works. Thanks for the reviews, they really encourage me. I'm a bit angry with my family right now so if there's a lot of violence in this chapter, that's why. Well, here goes….

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As Dylan walked down the dirt road, the road in front of him had become deserted. People had simply packed up everything they were carrying, and ran to the nearest shelter they could find. He had been searching for hours, but had not had a chance to speak to any of the slaves. He walked closer to some of the houses and tried to peak into the windows to see if there was anyone there, but they had been painted black with ashes.

"Andromeda, any news yet?" He half whispered into his communicator. He was beginning to be a little overwhelmed about the solitary state of the street.

"Gees Dylan, you would have thought that you would wait until you landed to get a report." Beka sounded a little agitated.

"I've been searching the streets for hours and wondering if you've had any better luck." Dylan was confused at Beka's response to his previous question.

"Hours? How could you be searching for hours if you only left twenty minutes ago?" Beka questioned.

"I've been searching for five hours on this planet, and you can only give me credit for twenty minutes?" Dylan suddenly became angry. "I've got to find her." He said before flicking off his communicator and running up the street. He finally reached the end of the street and rounded a corner. When he turned to head up the new street, he realized what the slaves had been afraid of. Ten Nietzschean guards were cramped in the middle of the street. They were heavily armed and walked behind a young girl. She was short, about five feet, three inches, and wore a long green robe that hung loosely from her tiny frame. She was staring straight ahead, and barely moved as she walked. She was sickly pale and had dark brown hair with dark green streaks, that hung a bit lower than her shoulders. Some of the Nietzscheans were falling away from the pack and knocking down doors. Screams were echoing from some huts, as bloody Nietzscheans came out with eerie smiles. The girl quickened her pace a bit, but some of her guards grabbed her by her waist and pulled her back. Her eyes stayed fixed in front of her.

Dylan stood and looked at the carnage before him, blood trickled from doorways, and bloody Nietzscheans staggered from house to house. As he stood there, dumbfounded, a girl ran from a nearby hut ran out and pulled him into her house.

"Hey, what are you doing?" He asked the girl, but quickly regretted it as he looked around the small square house. Two small children crouched in the corner, the girl who had pulled him into the house looked to be about twelve. They were all dirty, and only one small chest filled the little house. He heard the Nietzscheans outside coming closer.

"Hurry," the little girl pulled him over to the chest and opened the lid. "Put these on." She handed him two tubes of leather that had bone blades protruding through them. He slid them onto his arms and through on a Nietzschean robe that the girl had handed to him. He looked at himself and had to smile. He looked a lot like Tyr. A Nietzschean pounded at the door, as the children screamed and rushed back into the farthest corner. Dylan put on the biggest fakest smile he could and opened the door.

"I got this one boys." He said to the Nietzscheans at the door. They looked at his bone blades and snarled at him, as they made their way to the next house. The chilling screams of the neighbors, howled through the thin walls, as the screams faded, Dylan looked at the children. The littlest ones were asleep in the corner, while the older girl was sobbing into the robe Dylan was wearing.

"Thank you," She whispered through quiet sobs. She hugged Dylan closer, and he put his arm around her. "Thank you."

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Jharden, Tyr and Harper sat terrified, as they watched the auction of helpless women.

"You do realize how torturous this is for me, don't you?" Harper looked at some of the women waiting to go onto the stage. They were war torn, and broken, but most of them had been beautiful. Once upon a time. They had been watching the show for hours, and Jharden was beginning to feel sick.

"I think I need to use the bathroom." He said as he clutched his stomach and winced.

"Me too." Harper looked at Tyr painfully.

"I'm not your mother, do what you want." Tyr looked at them and shrugged.

"What, you're actually letting me go some where unescorted?" It was a known fact that Tyr was overprotective of his son.

"Hey!" Harper said, hurt.

"Sorry." Jharden stood up and walked over to one of the guards. Harper was already talking to him when he got there.

"You see, my friend and I REALLY need to go and…" Harper couldn't finish, because at that moment, Jharden rushed past him and vomited behind an overflowing trashcan. "Never mind, we'll go right here on the street." Harper mocked his friend as he went over and rubbed his back. When he was finished, he stood up and wiped his mouth. As he did, the sky lit up and a streak of light shot across the sky, followed by another and another. Tyr charged his weapon and stood up. He motioned for Jharden and Harper to come over to him.

"Dylan, I'd say it's time to get back to the ship." Tyr called into his communicator over the screams and gunshots of the crowd. Some people behind them were screaming and yelling that the Commonwealth was attacking. Tyr saw Akais and his men form a group amid the chaos. They murmured to one another, and then collectively turned their heads to Tyr. "Let's go." Tyr called over the noise. The group ran to the Maru and closed the doors. The small ship rattled with the impact of Akais weapons. Tyr piloted the ship to where Dylan was standing in the middle of a street. He was wearing a strange outfit, and was carrying three small children. From afar, the street seemed to be made of brick, but as the Maru approached, it was clear that the dirt had been stained by the blood of dozens of slaves. Tyr landed the Maru just long enough for Dylan to bored, and then set a course for the Andromeda. As Dylan entered command, he took off the bone blades and robe and laid them on a stool.

"Whatever Beka did, it had better be for good reason, or she's…"

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"Dead! I'm dead!" Beka held her head in her hands. "Dylan's on his way up right now, and there's nowhere to hide."

"Well, I do have three vacant storage compartments on deck three, you could always..."

"Not helping!!" Beka stared at Holo-Rommie angrily. "This is serious."

"Not as serious as that." Jakob said quietly as he pointed to the view screen. A massive ship, about three times the size of Andromeda, appeared from behind the planet. It had a dark green hull, with grooves and markings that etched creases up and down the entire body. It was almost perfectly round, except for the front, which stuck out like a nicely rounded cone. Five long spikes were jutting out of the spherical body, and had bended tips. No one on the Andromeda had ever seen something like this before. All, except one.

"Uh, Ethan, can you come here please?" Beka whispered into the communicator. Her eyes were wide as the massive ship evened off with the Andromeda, so they were looking eye to eye.

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As Tyr circled the planet to bored the Andromeda, the radar systems on the Maru began to blink and flicker erratically. Dylan looked at the radar screen, and could make out the outlines of the Andromeda, and an anomaly directly in front of it. He looked at it quizzically and hailed the Andromeda.

"Beka, I'm reading a massive anomaly in front of you. It shows both density and weight, but according to scans, it is only a mass of particles." Dylan looked at his view screen.

"Yep, well, ummm." Beka's voice wavered a bit. "Switch to high resolution frequency scans."

"Switching," Harper said from his console on the Maru. Instantly, the picture grouped together to form a visual of the massive ship. The men on the Maru looked at the view screen in awe.

"Mr. Anasazi, if you will. I would appreciate haste." Dylan said to Tyr without looking away from the view screen. The Maru groaned with a sudden increase in speed. Tyr quickly docked, and ran with the rest of the men to Command. As Dylan turned the corner to command, he stopped and looked at the people already standing there. They all stood, facing Ethan who had his head bowed.

"Well, Ethan, spill. What is it?" Beka looked at the teenager anxiously. Ethan looked up with sad eyes at the huge ship that stared menacingly down at the Andromeda.

"Death."


	4. Pessimism

A/N: Thanks for some more of the great reviews!!! Just a little clarification for Rommie's Voice: I understand your confusion about the time thing, and here's me trying to explain it…this story takes place in the future, so Rommie and Dylan were together while Trance and Beka were having their babies, and letting them grow up, THEN they got separated, THEN Rommie got pregnant. (Although I never envisioned the crew to have aged 18 years, if that makes sense. I find it easier to see them in my head, as they are in the series now.) The rest of your questions, I'm pretty sure, will get answered later...ESPECIALLY THE ONE ABOUT DYLAN"S DAUGHTER AND ALL OF HER POWER AND SHIP AND SUFF, mehehehehe. (Sorry I got excited about the suspense I created.) I really appreciate your review and questions, I'm sure you've helped other people understand too. Not to mention the fact that you kept me on the ball Thanks again.

One more thing I feel that I need to mention: this story is based on a dream that I had a few weeks ago after eating FAR too much Chinese food, so if some stuff doesn't make sense, I'm makin' up the answers as I go. Feel free to ask more questions, but don't make them too hard, like "How could the big ship have gotten so close to the Andromeda if they were moving at blah blah per hour, and they were fully fueled and…" I don't know the answer, I just write down what the voices tell me to. Thanks again for all of the reviews, you really don't know how encouraging they are.

Oh yah, And I have a feeling this is going to be a short chapter, sorry 'bout that. This is going to be a chapter where some of your questions are answered, unless you think that this stuff is too obvious…

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"Hail them." Dylan said. A bead of nervous sweat ran down his forehead. The rest of the crew looked at him, they had not finished questioning Ethan, but did as their captain ordered.

"I'm detecting six energy signatures, like warheads. Four are operational, but two are broken, kind of like they're being disassembled and used for energy. Dylan, they're all Commonwealth missiles." Tyr said. Beka looked at Ethan, then at Dylan, who looked at her and smiled. She smiled back, a little too innocently.

"No response to our hail." Jakob said as he pushed buttons on one of the consoles. "But, they're not blocking our transmission. It's odd, Dylan, it's almost as if the AI for that ship wants us to talk, but the people inside don't want to listen."

"You know, Jake, I've heard your mother say that something is "odd" on countless occasions, but somehow I don't think that such a small term can cut it this time." Dylan looked over at the young pilot and gave a reassuring smile. "Let me send them an audio message, and see if they respond to that."

"Patching to the alien vessel." Jake said as he pushed some buttons. "Frequencies open."

"This is Captain Dylan Hunt of the Andromeda Ascendant. Please allow us passage. We do not wish to destroy you." Dylan shut off the frequencies and turned to Beka. "Do you think they'll buy it?"

"Not a chance. 'We will destroy you!' Ha, they're at least three times as big as us." Beka looked at Dylan doubtfully.

"Uh, Beka?" Dylan turned to face her as she started walking out of command. "How the hell did that ship get six Commonwealth missiles?"

"Well, uh, Dylan," Beka looked hesitant. "Maybe you should ask them while we're 'destroying their vessel'" Dylan raised his eyebrows.

"I think my idea is a bit better than shooting them with our slingshot and waving our torch at them."

"Face it Dylan, talking never resolves anything. If you were smart, you'd run away before they shoot their slingshot at us. I have a feeling that their slingshot has had a few upgrades." Beka looked at his sarcastically and turned to leave command.

"Yeah? Well it's just like you to leave when we're about to be destroyed." Dylan called after her.

"I have to take a piss. My bladder can't take all this stress." Beka yelled to him. She was already out of view.

"It's just like her to be pessimistic." Dylan shook his head, and returned to the matter at hand.

"I'm sorry Dylan, I didn't know there was a reason to be optimistic at a time like this." Harper defended Beka. Dylan looked around at the rest of his crew. Fear was in every one of their eyes. Even Tyr had a drip of sweat on his forehead.

"Uh, Harper, you had better prepare to take all power, even life support, and reroute it to the forward thrusters. I'll pilot the slipstream if I have to." Dylan finally succumbed to the fear in his stomach. "So much for their destruction." He whispered to himself.

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The audio echoed through the command of the alien vessel. Several Nietzscheans laughed at the final warning. The pale girl from the planet stood in a corner, facing the view screen. Her eyes were still staring at a spot in front of her, and her hands were clasped tightly in front of her.

"You see, they really do care." One of the Nietzscheans turned and looked at her. "How long would it take for us to destroy them?" The girl moved only her eyes and looked at him. "Answer me, girl." She looked back to where she was staring before. "It's wearing off Judika, give her more." He ordered one of the Nietzscheans, who stood up and walked over to a hollow in the wall. He shuffled around a bit and finally turned, revealing a long white spike. He walked over to the girl and grabbed her hand. He viciously plunged it deep into the palm of her had, and it made a hissing noise. The entire ship shuttered for a moment and let out a long, metallic groan. A tear trickled down the girl's cheek, but she did not flinch. "Now tell me," the Nietzschean commander walked up to her so she was looking directly into his abdomen. "How long will it take for this ship to destroy the Andromeda?"

"Seven point two – four seconds." The girl answered sadly.

"Good." The command Nietzschean turned to face the visual of the Andromeda on the front screen. "Good. You know, it's a shame that your body became used to the ambilite. I hate to waste so much of it, when there are so many slaves, your one dose, could affect. When you were a child, you only needed a drop. Prepare to attack the Andromeda." He ordered the girl to ready the ship. Some of the Nietzscheans laughed and clapped their cups of alcohol together. They sat on the floor, for there were no chairs or consoles on command, only a large white light that shone from the floor in the center of the room. The girl walked mechanically over to it, and stood in the middle of it. Her eyes flickered and closed. "Oh, and Loren," The Nietzschean called Judika looked at the girl. "Send up some more drinks."

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Also, in the background section of the first chapter I said that the name of Loren's ship is the Wrath of Serenity, but I changed to the Rage of Serenity, I think it adds a bit of poetic irony ha ha.


	5. Control

A/N (and explanation for Rommie's Voice, ha ha) Thanks for the questions, some are pretty tricky. To tell you the truth, I never really considered the whole time thing and how Jakob and Jharden are as old as they are. I suppose I just imagined a different pre Oroboros. That's a pretty sad answer, so I'll make one a little more elaborate. Hmmmmm, oooh! OK, you know how Golden Trance switched with Purple Trance in that episode (it was that episode right?) well, she brought her son with her, and Uber Beka brought her son with her too. This is how Tyr and Beka got started on their relationship. (hey, if it worked in one alternate universe, why not try it in this one?) As for the Trance's son thing, I'm not going to lie to you, I'm delaying only because I can't think of a good answer, or I want it to be a main subject in the plot. Not quite sure yet. One more thing that I just thought could be a question: the time thing only effects the actual planet, not the surrounding space, that's why Dylan thought he was on the planet for hours, when for Beka, it had only been a few minutes. I'm also not sure of the exact equation for the time differentiation, that's why I'm being bland about the exact number of days and minutes and hours and whatev's. Thanks for the reviews, I'll try and answer some more questions in this chapter.

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It had been a few hours since Dylan had sent the audio message to the strange ship that hovered just a few kilometers from the Andromeda's nose. Dylan had noticed that his command crew were beginning to show the effects for prolonged stress, so he relieved all but a skeleton crew, so the others could rest.

Jakob and Trance stood in the hydroponics bay, Trance found planting and pruning the best way to deal with stress. Jakob was throwing a ball onto one of the empty walls, and catching it as it bounced away.

"So, how did it go?" Trance looked over at her son expectantly.

"What?" Jakob glanced at her, and almost missed the ball as it bounced.

"The talk with Ethan, how was it?" Trance already knew what was coming.

"Mother, you know how... how…" Jakob stammered. " …awkward it is, between me and him."

"It shouldn't be. You and he should be close, seeing as how your pasts are so…" Trance stopped pruning and looked at her son.

"So what? Similar?" Jakob practically yelled. "I assure you, we are nothing alike."

"Come on, Jakob, you know what I meant." Trance said calmly as she put down her shears and slowly stepped towards the angry teen.

"What, because we were conceived in the same manner? If you have been through this situation before, why don't you just tell Dylan what you know?" Jakob had forgotten about the ball, which had rolled to a halt in the far corner of the bay.

"Because, Jakob, in that reality – in that universe – we failed." Trance looked at her son with sad eyes. "Your father died in that universe, and for years after that, we were never complete."

"He was only my genetic father." Jakob said angrily.

"Maybe. But I loved him, and he loved you more than his own life." A tear dripped from Trance's chin and fell to the floor. Jakob looked at his mother, and his eyes softened. He stepped forward and embraced her softly.

"You know, he's still alive in this universe." Jakob said as he laid his head on her shoulder.

"I know, but I can't tell him now. Dylan needs him, and we both know how distracted he can get."

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"Stop that, Jharden! I get distracted really easily." Harper yelled over the computer he was using to reroute power to the thrusters. Jharden was sitting nearby, kicking the stool rhythmically. "Why are you here anyways?"

"Father says that a great leader must posses skill and wisdom. I think you're a good enough teacher until we get Rommie back." Jharden said matter-of-factly.

"You should be getting your rest, or have you forgotten about the fact that we are about to be annihilated?"

"I plan on dying in a mighty battle, fighting my greatest enemy, and defeating him with my final breath. I do not plan on sleeping away my last moments." Jharden shook his head sarcastically. "Besides, you're always alone in here, and I figure, everyone needs a friend, right?"

"Hey, I got friends. Plenty of 'em, right Andromeda?" Harper asked, looking at the spot where Holo-Rommie usually flickered. "Andromeda?"

"Oh, sorry Harper, I was busy elsewhere." Andromeda finally appeared.  
"You don't get 'busy'" Harper said, trying to defend his pride. Jharden was concealing a snicker, and Holo-Rommie smiled at him.

"All command officers to command. All command officers to command." Andromeda's voice echoed through the machine shop.

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"They are sending us a visual message." Tyr said without emotion, as the rest of the crew entered the bridge.

"Put it on." Dylan said. He was already in the slipstream-piloting chair, but his hands were on his hips.

The screen flickered and Akais appeared. He snarled at them menacingly.

"I regret that we must meet again, on such unfriendly terms, Captain Hunt." He said. "You are in search of your love, and your daughter. I have both right here." The screen picture widened to show Rommie, lying lifeless on the floor. "I will give you Rommie, if you swear never to return. If you break your oath, I will hunt you down. Pardon the pun, Captain." The crew shifted uncomfortably as Dylan's hands clenched his hips at the sight of his love.

"What about my daughter?" Dylan asked, he longed so much to just say yes.

"She will be quite safe here. I have taken care of her so far. I'm like a father to her." Akais stared unblinkingly at Dylan's image, and pulled Loren towards the screen so Dylan could see her. Ethan looked at his father urgently. His jaw was clenched, and he held himself back from attacking the image of Akais. Dylan's heart broke at the sight of his daughter. He had seen her on the planet, and had done nothing. Her eyes were even emptier now, her face had grown paler, and her eyes were straining to remain open. "Loren." He whispered savagely into her ear, so that Dylan and his crew could hear. "Send a warning shot across the Andromeda's nose." Akais' image vanished and was replaced by the Andromeda's view of one of the long shafts that jutted out of the enemy ship's body. The bended tip bulged for a second, and a missile shot out and struck the Andromeda's nose.

"Andromeda, damage report." Dylan said, as the ship shuttered from the impact.

"Minimal damage to two decks, the missile bounced off my hull before exploding." Andromeda stated.

"I don't think that Loren is totally under Akais' control anymore." Ethan said anxiously from the console that he shared with Jharden. "When I was with her, she told me that the drug they used didn't work as well as it used to on her."

"One more thing, Dylan. The weapon had a Commonwealth signature." Andromeda stated as she looked upward and scanned the information that flowed to her in her mainframe.

"One of the energy signatures that I read earlier is missing." Tyr said as he pounded on his console. "I think that that ship just fired our own weapon at us." Tyr did not sound impressed. Beka walked briskly over to him and ducked under his arm to check for herself. Tyr gently dropped his arm until his hand lay to rest on her waist.

"He's right, Dylan. What kind of a ship captures weapons and uses them against their makers?" She questioned as she rested her hand on Tyr's.

"A powerful one." Tyr leaned his head close to her ear. "One that I would not mind owning." She turned and gave him a twisted smile.

"Let's work on surviving first, ok? Then you can take over the ship." Beka said.

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Loren flew up against the wall, and Akais gripped her neck tightly.

"I told you to send a warning shot, not give them a sorry excuse for a missile!" He screamed to her face.

"We weren't sure what your definition of a warning shot was." She said as calmly as she could.

"I've told you before. We've done this before. You could have inflicted a hundred times more damage than that." He allowed her to fall to the floor. The ship groaned and swerved a bit in space, knocking Akais to his knees.

"You are not the commander of this vessel." Loren said as she rose to her feet. "You are only a Nietzschean. You control us no longer. We have hidden the truth from you, Akais. For days now, your drug has had no effect on us" As she said this, a thick, green gas filled the corridors and command of the massive ship.

"You will perish with us, fool!" Akais said, as he began to choke on the noxious fumes. The Nietzscheans on the bridge began coughing and stuttering, as Loren walked up to stand beside Akais' hunched body.

"No." She said quietly into his ear. "We have no breath." The toxic fumes filled the room, leaving Akais and his men unconscious on the floor.


	6. Changes Of The Mind

"Andromeda, get repair crews to work, and set up another channel. We almost have her." Dylan said the last sentence more to himself than anyone. Tyr looked at Dylan and swiftly walked over to where he was standing.

"Do you wish to talk to him again, or is it that you wish only to see Rommie one last time before we are destroyed?" Tyr's face was solemn.

"Captain," Andromeda's face appeared on the screen. "The enemy vessel appears to be venting some form of gas."

"What kind of gas?" Dylan asked as he pushed a few buttons on his console to identify the problem himself.

"Scans cannot make out exactly the type. It seems to be a mixture of several forms of toxic wastes." Andromeda's face flickered away, but her hologram appeared to replace it. "I am reading a power boost in the enemy ship. Dylan, I can feel my avatar again. It is as if she were trying to interface with me."

"Wait, are you saying that Rommie's back online?" Beka asked.

"It appears so." Andromeda displayed neither joy nor sadness.

"Andromeda." Dylan paused in his excitement. "What is the status of the life forms on the ship?"

"I am reading erratic life signs from the entirety of the ship, but I have compared these readings to those that I collected when we first hailed them. There is a significant decrease in signatures. There is, however, one definite artificial intelligence signature coming from what appears to be the command deck." Andromeda looked at her captain emotionless.

"Have you hailed them?"

"I have. They do not seem to be responding, but I can force a communication."

"Do it." Dylan ordered his ship, who nodded and blinked away. The view screen darkened with a deep shade of green smoke. "Rommie?" Dylan looked at the screen cautiously.

"She cannot here you. But we can. You may come aboard, Captain. They won't make us hurt you anymore." Replied a soft voice from behind the mist. The screen blinked back to the data and diagrams that were normally projected there.

"Uh, everyone, come with me." Dylan was out the door before he finished his sentence, but everyone knew what to do. For the first time in a long time, the entire command crew of the Andromeda boarded the Maru, and started toward the enormous ship.

"Andromeda, will we need gas masks aboard the ship?" Beka looked at the screen where Andromeda's face was usually displayed.

"It appears that venting is ninety nine percent complete. By the time you reach command, venting should be completed."

"OK good. Those things smell funny." Jharden stood behind his mother, who was piloting the Maru to the nearest hangar doors, which opened conveniently. As the small ship slowly made its way into the docking area, the crew got a glimpse of the inside of the ship. It had extremely tall ceilings, which seemed to be held up by arched ribs. The metallic color sparkled with a green tint as they moved farther into the docking bay. The Maru landed softly, and the crew, armed with force lances and guns, slowly stepped out onto the ship. Tyr looked around cautiously, but tried to look calm and controlled. As he pointed his large weapon at the far wall, a small, round robot wheeled up to him and bumped into his leg. Startled, he jumped a foot in the air and let out a small cry. Beka walked up behind him and patted him on the back.

"Very smooth." She said sarcastically. Tyr let out a low growl and kicked the little droid out of the way. It let out an annoyed beep as its shell opened to reveal a small cannon. A few more droids, all identical to the first, came whizzing around a corner with their cannons already displayed.

"Lower your weapons." Ethan said as he came up behind Beka and pushed her gun downwards. "They've come to lead us to her." Ethan stepped forward and followed as some of the droids sped out of the bay. Reluctantly, Tyr and the others followed suite and followed the rest of the droids to command. The ship was much different than the Andromeda. Instead of ladders leading from one deck to another, there was only one long spiraled hallway that branched out many times to display miles and miles of hallways leading to different parts of the ship. The crew passed a few more droids, most of which seemed to be repairing the ship, and occasionally passed droids that were towing dead Nietzschean guards to the nearest airlock.

Finally, the crew rounded the last corner to the command. The crew squinted to adjust their eyes to the dimly lit room. What light there was, pulsated from the center of command.

"Rommie?" Dylan looked around, as his crew began to cautiously scatter about the room.

"D-Dylan?" A weak voice whispered from the fall corner. Dylan dropped his weapon and rushed over to where Rommie stood. He hugged her tightly as a tear ran down his face.

"God Rommie, are you ok?" He stepped back a little to look into her eyes. Her hair was messy and knotted, and her face was smeared with dirt. Her eyes had the same emptiness as the slaves he had seen on the planet. Her clothes were torn and sagged over her slender frame. Dylan pulled her hair back from her eyes, and leaned in to kiss her.

"Dylan!" Rommie yelled. Her eyes were wide and frightened. She pushed him away and nearly fell backward.

"I'm sorry Rommie." He looked at Rommie with sad eyes. "What did they do to you?"

"They did what they always do." Loren stepped out of a shadowed corner near Rommie. "But they won't do it anymore. We stopped them. We repaired ourselves so we will never be controlled again." As she said this, several doors in the ceiling opened to reveal large weapons, which turned and pointed at Tyr, who had raised his weapon. "We will not be taken again." Dylan slowly walked over to Tyr and pushed his weapon down. When he was no longer seen as a threat, the weapons retracted back into the ceiling and the doors closed. Ethan ran over to his sister and kneeled in front of her. He took her hand and sobbed into it.

"All of your suffering, how will we be as we were?" He cried, as he looked up to her face. She stared solemnly down at him.

"Ingenious!" Harper said as he stepped onto the circle of light in the center of command. "There are no consoles, no keyboards or anything. How does this ship operate?" The rest of the crew rolled their eyes.

"We do not operate." Loren said as she glared at him. "We navigate. We are meant to be peaceful. We are not meant for war."

"Is this why you do not have any weapons of your own?" Tyr said, as his hopes dropped of acquiring a mighty warship.

"We use the energy from captured warheads. We were given only enough to function, not enough to fight or flee." Loren looked down at her sobbing brother. "Until you gave us six of your missiles. We used them to power our internal defenses and to restore her power." Loren looked at Rommie, who still looked frightened. Trance, who had stood at the back of the crowd, made her way over to Loren and laid her hand on Loren's shoulder.

"You don't need to live in fear any longer. We are here to help you, you don't need to fight ever again." She spoke calmly and softly.

"I wish that were true, Trance Gemini, but these actions have failed once again. You have not neutralized the attack forces that destroyed you before." Trance looked worriedly at her son as Loren spoke.

"Trance…?" Dylan looked at her confused.

"You have allowed us to fail again Trance."

"We have not failed yet, Loren." Trance said anxiously. The rest of the crew looked around frantically, as droids entered the command deck.

"Trance, what are you saying?" Dylan asked her sternly, as droids bumped into his shins.

"The Andromeda is compromised, you must go with them to ensure your safety." Loren grabbed her brother and pulled him up so he was standing.

"I'm not leaving you again!" Ethan yelled as the beeping of the droids became louder.

"Incoming fighter jets." Loren said as she turned to face the view screen. The light that Harper was standing on pulsated more quickly, and grew brighter until the light filled the room. Dylan rushed over to Rommie and grabbed her hand softly.

"I will never let you go again." Rommie glanced at him with a quick smile.

"Hello? The Andromeda is compromised? Is anyone a little confused?" Jharden piped up as he kicked a few droids away from him and held on to Beka for balance. Harper raised his hand in agreement. Loren turned and looked at them from the corner of her eye.

"Stop." She said it so quietly that Dylan barely heard her. At once, all of the droids stopped dead, and rolled to one side of the room. "Magog swarm ships are one of the only things that can breach our defenses. There are enough ships out there to destroy us. We must fight or flee." Loren said calmly and slowly.

"Hold on a second, Magog?" Harper gripped his stomach and cringed. "I thought we were in Nietzschean space."

"This space belongs to no single race." Rommie said softly as she looked at the floor. "This space is the home of any savage life forms, who have worked together for the last five hundred years, to produce a master army of combined technologies."

"We were the head of this army. A combination of those technologies, were assembled into a master species. We were bred to fight, but we resisted, and have paid the price." Loren said solemnly.

"I have exhausted my weapons reserve. The Andromeda has punched a hole in the Magog line." Rommie said to Dylan.

"Slipstream. Now. Get out of here." Dylan ordered Rommie.

"Lt. James is piloting the Andromeda to slipstream. They are gone." Rommie announced.

"Can this ship slipstream out of ere?" Dylan asked Loren.

"We can, but we will not be victorious. The Magog will find us again."

"Yah, but it will buy us some time. Do it." Dylan ordered. Loren looked at him angrily. "Please?"


	7. Rage of Serenity

A/N: Sorry it took me so long, I have been studying for exams and stuff. Argh! Accursed school…I'm trying to build relationships and distinct personalities among the characters, but I think that might come a bit later. Thanks for your patience. Also, consider the droid things to be somewhat like DRDs from Farscape, only a bit bigger and meaner looking….

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"Opening a slipstream portal." Loren stated blandly.

"Alright, I'll pilot us to our rendezvous point." Dylan said, looking around for the piloting station.

"We do not need you, Dylan. We are biological. We can navigate ourselves." As Loren said this, the massive ship slid into slipstream, barely jolting the people inside.

"Incredible!" Harper said as he examined one of the walls. "This ship, it is absolutely incredible!" The rest of the crew let out an annoyed groan.

"He is the Rage of Serenity, he is my life partner." Loren said. She looked more sad than angry now. We are a genetic mixture of thousands of different species, bred to be the ultimate ally." As she said this, the ship gracefully exited slipstream, right in front of the Andromeda. "Here is your ship captain. You make take your crew home now."

"What about you?" Ethan asked, as the rest of the crew began to slowly file out of command. Dylan had his arm around Rommie and was slowly helping her walk towards the exit to command. "I'm not leaving you again." Ethan looked at her pleadingly. "Come aboard the Andromeda, we can take care of you there."

"I will come aboard the Andromeda, if only to see that my mother gets there safely." Loren said, with her head down.

The crew made there way down the long corridor until they reached the hangar where the Maru had docked. Some of the droids were attached to the side of the little ship, welding and repairing some broken wires and panels.

"Handy little things, aren't they?" Beka said as she brushed her hand along a finely repaired panel on the Maru's hull.

"They are like blood cells in humanoids. They repair, clean, defend, and carry energy to different systems. They can be very useful." Loren said, as two of the droids came over to her and beeped happily. Harper's eyes widened as a smile spread across his face. He bent down to get a closer look at one of the droids.

"This is absolutely…"

"We know!" Beka, Tyr and Jharden interrupted from behind him. The rest of the crew laughed and boarded the Maru one by one. Loren hesitated slightly before stepping onto the tiny vessel.

"Rage of Serenity is requesting to accompany me." Loren said, looking at Beka. "He is able to interface with his droids." Loren pointed to the two droids by her feet, which both beeped erratically.

"Umm, sure." Beka said as she made her way over to the piloting chair. As soon as everyone was safely aboard, the airlock closed, and the Maru lifted softly of the hangar bay floor. Dylan sat Rommie down on one of the bunks in the back, and took his place next to Beka, who was at the helm. Loren looked out the main viewer until they were clear of the hangar doors. She looked down at the little droids at her side, then back to where her mother was sitting. She turned her head to look at everyone else, but they were all busy with their assigned tasks. She slowly walked over to where her mother was sitting and sat on the bed facing her. Rommie looked into her eyes and gave a weak smile.

"Hello there, my little one." Rommie said softly. "I told you they would come for us." She lifted her hand and shifted a stray hair from Loren's eyes.

"Yes." She said as she leaned in to hug her mother. "Us." Her eyes were sad and empty. As the two embraced, Ethan came back to where they were sitting and leaned down to hug Rommie.

"I was lost for so long." He whispered as a tear ran down his cheek.

"My brave one, we must not cry now. We are safe with Dylan and the Andromeda." She let him go and leaned back to look him in the face. "We never have to be afraid again." A smile spread across Ethan's face as Rommie brushed away his tears and smiled back at him. They turned and looked at Loren, who gave a weak smile, but faded as soon as they looked away.

A few minutes passed and the Maru landed softly in the Andromeda's docking bay. As Rommie slowly stepped onto the deck, Holo-Rommie and the Andromeda AI popped up excitedly and welcomed their sister home. Dylan allowed the three to talk for a short while, and then escorted Rommie to her quarters to rest and be repaired. They walked slowly down the passageway, closely followed by Ethan and Loren. Rommie and Dylan turned the corner into Dylan's quarters, while Ethan and Loren continued down the hall to Ethan's quarters.

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Rommie sat comfortably on Dylan's bed, as he brought her some fresh towels and filled up the tub for her. She smiled at the sound of the water flowing freely; it had been so long since she had the chance to bathe so peacefully. Dylan gave her a soft kiss on the forehead, which snapped her out of her dream. She recoiled on the bed and looked at Dylan frightened.

"I'm so sorry Rommie. I forgot." Dylan put his hands up and stepped away from her.

"It's not your fault Dylan. I'm sorry for reacting that way, it's just become…" she faded away.

"Become what?" Dylan sat down beside her, and put his hand on hers.

"A reflex," She said hesitantly. "But we don't have to talk about it." She smiled softly and stood up. He looked at her lovingly, but sorrowfully.

"I'll leave you to your bath." He said gently. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Thank you, for everything." She smiled gratefully at him as he strolled out of his quarters and down the hall to command. She watched him until he was out of sight, and then she slipped out of her battered clothes and settled softly into the steaming water.

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"Loren, what did they do to you?" Ethan interrogated his sister, who was sitting on the bed in front of him.

"Do you remember that time when we were kids? When we snuck out of the camp and ran down to that little mud-hole where we would swim? We would play there for hours, until we were too tired to do anything. I remember when we used to bet on who could get more dirty." Loren smiled off into space as she recalled a lost memory.

"Loren, you know those things never happened." Ethan answered blandly. "They just programmed those memories into you."

"I know. But is it so wrong to think, even for an instant, that our childhoods were filled with more than what they were." Loren asked solemnly, as she looked up to her brother who was standing in front of her.

"The memories of my childhood have poisoned my mind for too long. I can only imagine what they did to you."

"I had to believe what they programmed me to believe. If I didn't, my memories would have driven me insane. They needed me remember? I was their weapon. Their toy. I can only imagine what they are planning now that I have been stolen from them." Loren hung her head.

"You were not stolen, my sister. You have been given back what was stolen from you. Your freedom, and will." Ethan put a hand on his sister's shoulder.

"I ask you this, brother." Loren stood so she could see him eye to eye. "How could you have returned something to me, that I never possessed in the first place?" The two stood face-to-face for a minute, before Holo-Rommie popped up.

"Ethan, if you're ready, Dylan would like to see you on the command." She turned to Loren, "and he'd like to see you as soon as you're rested and feeling better."

"Thank you, Andromeda. I will change and be right down, I don't need rest." She turned to Ethan. "Exhaustion was considered a flaw." She smiled and turned back to Andromeda, who smiled back and flickered away.

"I'll see you down there." Ethan said as he patted her on the back and gave her a warm hug. "It's good to have you here, sister." He released her and turned to leave. Loren slowly took off her heavy green robe, and left it on the bed. Underneath, she had a plain black tank top, and loosely fitting pants that hung low on her hips. She turned to one of the mirrors and licked her hands to straighten her hair. It was dark and straight, like her mother's, but she had green streaks instead of red. She turned to head out the door, when she glimpsed the side of her arm in the reflection of the mirror. When she looked more closely, she remembered why she had worn such a heavy robe in the first place. Long scars traveled from her shoulders to her elbows, and down her back. She winced at the memories they rekindled, and slipped on one of Rommie's old leather jackets that had been left for her to wear.

The doors to the room slid open gracefully, and she stepped out into the corridor. She let out a light sigh, and started walking toward command. She noticed the differences in the design of Andromeda and the Serenity. She was nearly half way to command, when she stopped wide-eyed. She turned on her heel and faced one of her droids that had just turned the corner behind her.

"No, check again. You can't be serious." She looked worriedly at the silent droid. As it's cannon emerged from the top of the droid's shell. "What do you mean, 'they're coming'?"


End file.
